Which helmet is best for me?
Mar 2nd, 2010 by Leo
The good news about finding a good helmet is that there are many types to choose from, many brands, and therefore one that will offer great protection and comfort in the style you want. The bad news is that it can get complicated figuring out which is right for you… So here’s a little guide to help untangle all the information out there…
Why bother? In some studies, 80% of all motorcycle fatalities (in 2006) were due to head injuries. Your helmet is the most important safety device you wear! So for this post I want to talk about full faced helmets because they give you more protection than the open faced kind – and because even if you prefer an open faced helmet around town, every rider (even scooter riders) should at least own a full faced helmet for higher speed rides.
Of course a helmet should fit right…and having a cool looking helmet will make you go faster and safer (no not really). But other than that there are three or four certifications you need to be aware of… Let’s untangle those and you will know everything you need to know about motorcycle helmets…
First there is the DOT standard, technically known as the FMVSS 218 (Federal Motor Vehicle 218). This is the minimum standard of helmet protection required by the US government. In order to be legal for use on the road, a helmet has to be DOT approved. The way you know is there is a sticker on the back of every DOT approved helmet. And although it is a minimum requirement for helmets, it’s proven to be a good standard. Now if helmet certifications stopped here, life would be simple…
Second there is the ECE 22.05 standard. This is the “Economic Community of Europe” standard for helmets similar to the DOT. But the ECE 22.05 tests helmets at higher speeds so that it’s a harder test for a helmet to pass. The bottom line is: all ECE 22.05 helmets pass the DOT standard (but not the other way around), and it tests for a higher level of safety. So if you could choose between an ECE (and DOT) approved helmet or a helmet that’s only DOT approved, the ECE helmet is the one to go with.
Third there is the SNELL M2005 and the newer M2010… These were developed for “high performance” helmets to guarantee the highest level of safety possible from a helmet… One of the features of their “more rigorous” testing was the helmet would have to be able to take two impacts to the same spot in order to pass. Many DOT (and ECE) approved helmets would not be able to absorb a second blow at high speeds. The result is that SNELL helmets would have to be harder and absorb less impact in order to survive two impacts.
Although this sounded like a good idea at first, studies have found that SNELL helmets don’t offer good levels of protection – mainly because they expose the head to too many g-forces. ”Softer,” DOT-only helmets provided greater protection because they absorbed more of the impact and transmitted fewer g-forces. In addition the way SNELL tested helmets (assuming everyone’s head weighed the same, rather than assuming smaller heads would weigh less) meant that even greater g-forces would be passed on to wearers of smaller sizes.
As a result people like Hugh Hurt (of the Hurt Report), James Newman (former director of the Snell Foundation), no longer think the SNELL certification is a good one. So recently Snell issued a new standard (the M2010) allowing for “softer” helmets in order to pass the minimum g-force requirements of the ECE 22.05 standard. The word is not in yet on whether this new 2010 standard is any better…
Are you thoroughly confused yet? The bottom line for me is: DOT and ECE 22.05 = good… DOT and SNELL = either bad or questionable (in the case of the newer 2010 Snell standard). Unfortunately for some track day riders, some tracks (like Laguna Seca) still require SNELL rated helmets… In which case, I’d recommend doing your best to get a newer M2010 Snell rated helmet.
ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD…SHARP Helmet Rating System: And we saved the best for last. In the UK there is an even newer helmet rating system. It differs from all the others in that it doesn’t just give pass or fail, but 1 to 5 star ratings… It also tests for different kinds of impacts to different parts of the helmet, in all its helmet sizes, using different sized (and weighted) dummy heads. You can pretty much guess what I personally think of this helmet system (hint: the link is to the right). The down side to this rating system is that it’s UK based so not all the helmets they test are available in the US – and vice versa. Some helmets, like some HJC helmets, have different model numbers in the UK…but others just aren’t available or hard to find. But their list of tested helmets is growing every month. And we’ve mentioned it before on this blog, the highest rated helmets are not always the most expensive – and some of the most expensive helmets (ahem Arai-Shoei) don’t get five stars… Which means there’s really no reason your next helmet shouldn’t have a four or five star rating…
Hope that helps!
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I need to take my wife helmet shopping. Since I remember how long it took me to find the right fit, I don’t want to shop online. Does anyone know of a local shop that has a great selection of helmets? I’ve already been to two stores, but even though their website photos had dozens and dozens of helmet, there were only a few styles/sizes when I showed up. Thanks in advance for your help.
Hey Peter,
I know the dealers sell helmets too – but their selections are small… Helmets take up space, need to be stored a certain way – and their value expires after a while, so it’s hard to find a place that has a good inventory…
You could try Cycle Gear in NJ http://www.cyclegear.com/city_location.cfm?Store=92
Or just try going to the major dealers around your area.
Warning though – you’ll pay more, sometimes a LOT more than what you would online… So hopefully the salespeople will at least be nice about helping you out.